Friends and Enemies
by SiameseSisters
Summary: Stork is hiding a dark secret from his team mates, one that will tear them apart. And he cannot hide it forever... Rated for violence, blood, gore, language. Some StorkPiper. Chapter 12 up. FINISHED! News on Sequel in profile.
1. Like Father, Like Son

This is the first real Fanfic I've actually bothered to do (I've been in a slump over summer, worrying about college, and I started writing this at the beginning of September).

Anyway, as the summary goes, everyone's favourite Merb Stork is hiding something from his friends and, as the story goes on and the secret is revealed, it will turn Stork into an enemy of the Storm Hawks and test his friendship and loyalty of his team.

This fic is rated for violence, blood, gore, language and StorkPiper references. I also included quotes and parodies from the animated film _Felidae._

* * *

Friends and Enemies

Chapter 1: Like Father, Like Son

Sparrowhawk switched the Condor's gears into autopilot mode. Retreating to the bridge, he sat at the main table, facing a monitor fixed to the wall. He put a headset on over his messy oil-black hair and input an address into a keyboard. In no time at all, an image of a female Merb appeared on the screen of the monitor. She wore a pink apron and her black hair was tied into a bun.

"Fulmar," Sparrowhawk spoke into the mouth-piece of the headset. The female Merb jumped in surprise, "calm down Fulmar, it's just me." he reassured her.

"Oh Sparrowhawk, you almost gave me a heart attack! Hey Stork, look who it is!" Fulmar ducked out of view and, a moment later, Sparrowhawk's two-year old son appeared at the screen, held by Fulmar. He put his tiny hands on the screen. Sparrowhawk smiled proudly.

Like his wife and son, Sparrowhawk was a Merb, but one of the very few Merbs who had been brave enough to venture outside of his home Terra, Atmosia. Unlike many other Merbs, he possessed great strength and was talented in many martial arts.

"We miss you." Fulmar spoke to the screen.

"I miss you both too," Sparrowhawk replied, "but I'll be home soon, I promise."

The Condor's alarm system suddenly started blaring, the lights flashing red, the alarm horn at full blast. The ship lurched forward and began to fall, cutting off the transmission. Sparrowhawk immediately leapt to the Condor's controls and tried to steer her back on track. But it was no use; one of the pontoon's engines had blown.

He managed to get the ship onto a temporary hover before shouting into the headset, "Jay! Guillemot! Kite! This is a code red emergency! I repeat, code red! Report to the bridge immediately!"

The ship began to fall out of it's position and Sparrowhawk struggled with the controls, "Guys! This is not a drill! Report to the bridge now! Jay! Guill! Kite!"

"They're not here, Sparrowhawk." came a voice from behind the Merb.

He looked back, hands still on the controls, and gasped at the dark haired teenager, clad in Cyclonian armour.

"Ace?" Sparrowhawk asked in disbelief.

"Sorry if I'm interupting you, Sparrowhawk, but this ship's going down..."

* * *

**Thirteen years later**

Aerrow flew over the clouds on his skimmer, Radarr at his side, Finn and Junko in pursuit. The unmistakable blast of the Condor's horn broke the silence just as the carrier ship flew out from under the cloud cover.

"Let's ditch the wastelands and fly over this time, eh Radarr?" Aerrow steered his skimmer over the ship.

From inside the Condor, Stork grinned evilly, "Just as I suspected..." and pulled one of the levers at the Condor's controls.

From behind the ship, a large net, supported by two thin masts, came flying up towards Aerrow, catching him, Radarr and the skimmer and slamming them down onto the Condor's window. Stork smiled triumphantly at a very dazed Aerrow. His latest trap had worked perfectly.

"Gotcha', Sky Knight!" he hissed.

Stork then switched the ship into hover mode and ran to the runway. Standing there, waiting for him, was the Sonic Scrambler, the air skimmer he had constructed in Terra Rex.

"OK, you can do this..." he reassured himself, sitting on the skimmer, "you will not lose again," he then sniggered, "let's see how Aerrow enjoys doing the dishes..."

* * *

Finn and Junko steered their skimmers towards the Condor where Aerrow was trapped. 

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to win!" Finn laughed, then steered out of the way as a skimmer flew past them at high speed.

"Was that Stork?" Junko asked.

Aerrow drew his twin blades and cut his way out of the net. Jumping back on the skimmer, he turned to Radarr, searching his pockets, "Don't worry Radarr, we can still beat them with this..." he trailed off into silence. The Turbo Crystal he had prepared was missing.

Meanwhile, flying above the clouds, Stork looked at the orange crystal in his hand, grinning, "Thanks Aerrow." He slipped the crystal into the converter and held on for dear life as the turbo kicked in.

* * *

Piper made it to the tree in Terra Atmosia first, having decided not to go after Aerrow this time. It came as a surprise to see Stork pull up at the tree in a skimmer. 

"Stork? You, riding a skimmer?" she asked.

"I can ride them, I'd just prefer not to," he explained, stepping off the skimmer, and suddenly collapsing to the ground, "that, and I have to get used to the vertigo." he added, smiling up at Piper.

Piper giggled and helped him back onto his feet. The two waited until Finn and Junko reached the tree and, finally, Aerrow. Radarr jumped off his shoulder and ran to the tree before him.

"I guess this means you'll be doing the dishes for the next month." Stork said, smiling broadly.

"Alright, fair enough," Aerrow panted, "don't rub it in."

They all waited until Aerrow got his breath back, "OK, let's get back to the Condor. In case you all forgot, they're waiting for us at Terra Rex."

* * *

The violence and blood really gets started in the next chapter. 


	2. The Seige of Rex

Since you asked, here's an update.

Beware: This is where it gets really gruesome!

* * *

Chapter 2: The Siege of Rex

The Condor landed on the giant launch pad of Terra Rex, only this time; there were no screaming fans to welcome them. As the team set out to explore Terra Rex it became apparent to them that something or other must have happened; the streets were deserted and quiet.

As Piper went solo on a search down a street, she came across a lone citizen, sitting on a bench and staring out at a grassy patch, some metres away. Piper looked in the same direction, and let out a horrified gasp.

Lying on the grass was the body of a man, one of the Rex Guardians by the look of the armour. As Piper came closer to investigate the body, she saw a deep gouge in the man's throat, almost exposing his spine. The grass was dark and crusty from where the blood had spurted from his neck.

"It must've been a can opener." The lone man piped up, having investigated the body too.

"Pardon?" Piper answered, "Can opener? I'm sorry, you've lost me."

"It must've been a friggin' can opener!" the man replied, "Ain't it obvious? Some sonofabitch gave the poor guy an extra ventilation hole in the throat."

Piper looked at the wound again, "I don't think a can opener did it. This guy's throat has been shredded, not cut. Did you witness it?"

"Me? Hell no. I can tell ye this though, some Cyclonian bastard must've done it. We've been havin' trouble with 'em."

"Everyone's had trouble with them."

"Yeah, but now there's talk goin' about, of a Cyclonian Invasion. See how many Terras they can take control of. An' they're doin' this; slaughtering innocent lives."

But would the Cyclonians step so low as to commit murder, Piper thought. Her thoughts were suddenly shattered as the Condor's horn blasted throughout the quiet Terra.

* * *

As with many of the Storm Hawks' missions, Stork stayed behind in the Condor. It was a lot safer for him other than to put himself in the firing line of the enemy. Or so he thought. 

Squads of Cyclonians sneaked about the streets of the Terra, unbeknown to the Storm Hawks. The citizens were in hiding. The body Piper had found had not being the only victim of the Cyclonians' new killing fest.

Becoming bored with waiting for his friends, Stork carried out a routine check of the Condor. As he passed the window, he noticed a young woman running towards the ship, screaming. Stork peered out curiously, just as two skimmers, emblazoned with the Cyclonian symbol, came flying from over the carrier ship and towards the woman. Stork watched helplessly as one of the Talons raised his blade and, with one direct sweep, decapitated the woman.

Sick with horror, Stork staggered backwards, a hand to his own throat - and whirled around instinctively. Just as his ears had sensed, a stranger had been lurking from behind him; Dark Ace.

"Well, this is interesting…" he sniggered, his mouth curling into an evil grin. Following their commander, was a small group of five Talons.

Stork backed into the Condor's controls. His eyes quickly scanned the bridge, but Dark Ace's troop had already blocked all means of escape. He was trapped.

"You see that out there?" Dark Ace nodded his head towards the window. Stork glanced out. To his disgust, the two Talons outside were now kicking the woman's head around, as if in a game.

"That's our new little policy," Dark Ace continued, "to any Terra we invade, we now kill all in sight, slowly and painfully, until the Terra finally collapses."

He lifted his glowing red sword, the tip of the blade almost touching Stork's throat. Stork whimpered, his heart beating crazily against the metal cross on his chest.

Dark Ace, obviously enjoying the young Merb's discomfort, sniggered, "Of course, we do spare the lives of those willing to make an… arrangement…"

Stork could smell trouble, but Dark Ace had lowered his blade. If he was quick enough, he could avoid getting his own head cut off.

He slammed his hand down on the Condor's horn and ducked. Dark Ace swung his blade at the Merb, but only managed to nick his ear. Stork reached up and pulled one of the Condor's levers and darted across the room. Black slime came pouring out of one of the many tubes on the ceiling of the bridge, covering the Talons. Stork leapt over the pool of slime gathering on the floor and retreated to the living quarters, Dark Ace not far behind.

Aerrow and Radarr returned to the Condor first, met by the Cyclonians, slipping in the black slime. Finn, Junko and Piper arrived soon after and helped Aerrow to take out the Talons and throw them off the ship.

"Are we all OK?" Aerrow asked afterwards.

"Where's Stork?" Piper looked about the bridge.

The team scoured the ship for Stork. As Aerrow searched the main corridor of the living quarters, the lid of a trunk lying on the floor lifted slightly. Stork's pale yellow eyes peered out at Aerrow.

"Are they gone?" he asked fearfully.

"Yeah, they're long gone now," Aerrow reassured him as he opened the trunk and helped him out, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine," Stork replied, rubbing the cut on his ear, "I mean, a little traumatized with probable mental scarring, but other than that I'm fine."

Aerrow smiled, "Great. Well, let's get out of here. It's not safe here right now."

* * *

Once the Condor had left Terra Rex and was airborne, the team met at the table to discuss their findings. 

"I found a body in one of the streets, just lying there in plain daylight," Piper explained, "his throat looked exactly as though someone decided to test an ice-pick to see if it worked."

"That's like what Radarr and I found," Aerrow added, "only there were more. And out in the open for all to see too, throats gouged out and all."

"Yeah, well, you guys got off easy," Finn began, "the bodies Junko and I found had been cut right open, their guts were spread everywhere!"

"Man, I ain't ever gonna eat again with that stuck in my memories!" Junko moaned.

Stork could almost feel his face turn a paler, sicklier green than that of his healthier tinge. Just thinking of all those bodies made him wonder what Dark Ace would have done to him if he had caught him. Throat ripped out, evisceration, head cut off just for the hell of it. It would have been enough to starve Junko to death.

"You OK, Stork?" Aerrow asked, "Did the Cyclonians say anything to you?"

"Well, they did say it was their new policy," Stork told them, "to kill everyone until the Terra gives up."

"Policy?" Aerrow questioned, disgusted.

"That's how they put it." Stork added.

"Now that you mention it, this guy I met, he said the Cyclonians were planning on an invasion," Piper spoke up, "This is probably what all this murder is about…"

* * *

As the Storm Hawks discussed their predicament, Dark Ace hid inside the Condor's left pontoon. His initial plan to have the Merb give in and join them had not failed entirely. For hiding with him inside both the Condor's pontoons were a great many Talons and their skimmers, waiting to attack the next Terra the Storm Hawks arrived at. 

As for the Merb, Dark Ace thought, he would join the Cyclonians, if he knew what was good for him, split up the Storm Hawks, and Atmos would be all for the taking. That was what he liked about Merbs, they never put up a fight, and they never stood up for themselves. Oh yes, this one would be too easy to persuade...

* * *

Please R&R. 


	3. Widespread Chaos

Man, you guys are already getting upset over the gore? I've only just started.

Well, OK, I'll tone down a bit so I don't discourage you from reading more. 

* * *

Chapter 3: Widespread Chaos

The day's events played on Stork's mind long after he had parked the Condor for the night and had retreated to his room. He had turned in much earlier than he usually did, but it had done little to help him sleep. For most of the evening he lay on his bed, willing himself to at least doze.

As evening turned to night, he listened as the others returned to their rooms. Then, disturbing the quiet, there came a knock at his door. Momentarily, the door opened and Piper walked in.

"Hey, it's just me." she whispered reassuringly.

Stork sat up and smiled. He could not be depressed around Piper, whose caring nature seemed to exume an aura as warm as her skin tone.

"I know today has been rough for you, so I brought some of your favourite music." she explained, sliding a silver disk into the stereo on his desk.

Piper rubbed his shoulder gently and kissed him on the cheek, "Get some sleep. Goodnight." she said quietly and left without making a sound.

Stork lay back down, as the soft, almost sombre classic music drifted around the room, lulling him to sleep. But it was a strange sleep; his conscious mind felt only half-awake. As he lay dormant in the dark, he slowly became aware of a dim light, shining in the corridor. The light grew brighter, and Stork grew more awake. He soon found himself leaving his bed, his room, and investigating the light down the corridor, leading him to the bridge. All this was unintentional. He felt he had no control over himself.

Stepping onto the bridge, Stork discovered that there had been no light, but around the bridge, everything had turned white; the walls, the floor, the table, the controls, although outside, through the window, it was eerily black. Looking back to the corridor, Stork watched horrified as the hallway and living quarters, everything past the doorway, exploded and broke apart, all debris drifting into nothingness. Despite this destruction, the bridge remained untouched.

As the door slammed shut, Stork turned back to the bridge - and standing there was a slim, feminine-like figure wearing dark clothes and a cape. What frightened Stork the most about this strange woman was not how she had appeared so suddenly, but that she had no face. Where her face should have been was a black space. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, nothing.

And yet, she spoke; "Come here Stork, come and see what I have for you." in her hands, she held a glittering silver necklace.

There was a kindness and subtlety in her voice, but deep down, Stork heard a distant echoic hiss. As much as he urged himself to stay way from her, there was no stopping him moving towards her. It was almost as if, in his dreaming state, someone else took control of his body and made him do things he would not even think of doing in his conscious state. All Stork could do was sit back and watch. Resisting was useless.

As he approached the woman, she draped the necklace over his head and around his neck. The bridge grew suddenly dark and he felt the necklace tighten around his throat. In front of him, the woman began to back away, pulling on a long metal chain. As his head jerked forward, Stork realised too late the chain attached to the necklace, growing tighter still.

Stork began to panic and he seized back control of his body. He tried to wrench the necklace off and pulled away from the woman, but in trying to escape, he only managed to make it tighter. The woman gave a sudden hard tug and Stork was pulled down to the floor.

Around t, the bridge began to crack and break apart, all manner of debris falling through the dark sky and dissolving into the air. Stork pulled himself across the floor and held onto a breaking wall, resisting the chain with all his might. With all the air choked from his lungs, he looked back fearfully into the black face of the woman. From the dark space, two glowing yellow eyes glared out at him. Without warning, the floor collapsed from underneath them and, while the woman vanished, Stork fell into the night sky.

He awoke on his back, arms flailing out in front of him and his heart pounding. His throat was dry, which would explain why he dreamt of suffocation. Only when he sat up, did he realise that he had fallen over the edge of his bed. And what was worse was that the dream still remained vivid in his memory.

That was no ordinary nightmare, he thought, almost like a warning. But, it was morning and, as Stork reported to the bridge, he thought no more of it. He was about to face something far more frightening than a nightmare.

* * *

Aerrow suggested on travelling to Terra Vapos first. If the Cyclonians were really planning on a full invasion of Atmos, then the Storm Hawks would have to help defend the Terras most at risk.

As they approached the Terra, Aerrow, Radarr, Finn, Junko and Piper left on their skimmers. Dark Ace, who had left his hiding place to spy on them, found this to be the best opportunity to unleash his Talons upon the unsuspecting Terra.

After commanding his troops to gather at the runway, Dark Ace went to the bridge to confront the Merb.

* * *

Stork watched as his friends disappeared under the cloud cover, and, without warning, a glowing red sword came crashing down onto the Condor's controls. He yelped and looked up in horror at Dark Ace. 

"Open the hatch. Now!" he commanded, almost growling.

Stork slowly raised his shaking hand and pressed down on the hatch release button. Immediately, all the Talons that had been hiding in the Condor came pouring out the hatch and through the cloud cover to Terra Vapos. Their alarming numbers made Stork shudder; there were at least a hundred. But the Condor had only been carrying the first wave. On both sides of the carrier, Stork noticed, were two gargantuan Cyclonian warships, pouring out even more Talons.

Dark Ace wrenched his blade from the controls, "Now, about our arrangement."

"I didn't agree to anything," Stork answered back, trying to sound brave, "and I never will."

"Oh, you will," Dark Ace snarled, "our invasion is not just about capturing any Terra on Atmos, it's capturing every single one. Some may think this mission to be crazy, but look; Master Cyclonis has many more Talons under her control than this. And with each new captured Terra, there will come more. The more Terras we take, the harder it will become for you to hide. Eventually, you will no longer be able to run. Just think how easy it will be for us to hunt you down and kill you all. Then, there will be no time for arrangements."

Dark Ace was right. An invasion of the whole of Atmos did sound crazy, but as Stork watched the hordes of Talons fly down to Vapos, it scared him to realise how real it all was. Whatever Dark Ace wanted, it could not be good. And yet, thinking of what had happened at Terra Rex, Stork did not want to end up just like all their victims. There was only one thing he felt he could do, and he would regret it for a long time.

"And, the arrangement?" Stork asked, feeling defeated.

"Interested now, are we?" Dark Ace smiled evilly, "You join us and do us a few favours, and in return, we'll spare your pathetic life. And maybe your friends', if we're in the mood…"

* * *

Aerrow was taken aback by all the Talons that flew down to Terra Vapos. There were simply too many of them to fight. The ancient buildings and ruins were torn down and every citizen the Talons found was immediately killed. Fortunately, rescue ships had arrived to help with ferrying the survivors to safety. But saving Vapos soon looked like a lost cause. Aerrow had no other choice but to call a retreat. 

As he and the others flew back to the Condor, they looked on in horror as two Cyclonian warships moved in on Terra Vapos, their second capture.

"We failed…" Aerrow sighed miserably, back on the Condor.

"So they captured two Terras, what's that?" Finn asked, trying to be optimistic, "It's not like they can take over all of Atmos."

If only they knew, Stork thought gravely. It hurt him to know that Vapos' capture was partly his fault, and that many more Terras were to follow and fall to the Cyclonians because of him. For hiding once again in the pontoons was Dark Ace, finally triumphant.

Over the next few days, the Storm Hawks went to defend more Terras, and failing to, little knowing that Stork's agreement with the Cyclonians had condemned all the Terras to Cyclonian rule.

* * *

Please R&R. 


	4. Suspicious Minds

Wow, I've never had this many reviews with all my previous failures!

* * *

Chapter 4: Suspicious Minds

Aerrow was beginning to see a pattern happening with their situation; every Terra they came to was immediately set upon by Cyclonians, no matter how peaceful it had seemed before. And it also came to his attention that many of their crystals were disappearing.

It was only until one night when the thought of treachery in his team crossed his mind. He tried to ignore it, but the more he thought about it, the more realistic it seemed to become.

The next morning, as Aerrow stepped onto the bridge and glanced at his team, he realised that, if his assumptions were correct, everyone was a suspect.

* * *

Aerrow was becoming suspicious, Stork noticed. He saw it in the way he would look at them if they so much as walked past him, even at Radarr. Dark Ace had instructed Stork to lay low until the time to reveal his betrayal was right. But, day by day, such a feat seemed to grow more impossible. Each time Stork was left alone on the Condor, Dark Ace and some of his Talons would take the opportunity to steal as many crystals as they could carry. 

That morning Stork decided that if his team could not have the crystals, then neither could the Cyclonians. He would just have to plan how to get rid of the ones they had left.

Piper walked onto the bridge just that minute, "Finn, you remember that little discussion we had last night?"

"About not using your crystal tools to pick my nose?" Finn asked.

"No. About how hard it is for you to put the seat down after taking a piss." Piper replied angrily.

As Finn and Piper argued, Stork's eyes lit up, "That's it!" he muttered.

* * *

Later that day, Aerrow came across Stork in the corridor, clutching a bunch of crystals to his chest. 

"What're you doing with those?" Aerrow asked.

"Piper needs them for analysis," Stork replied, having already planned his story, "to find out what's making them disappear."

Aerrow gave him an uncertain look, but continued to walk down the corridor back to the bridge. Stork, on the other hand, carried the crystals into the bathroom and locked himself in.

I can't believe I'm doing this, Stork thought as he dropped the crystals into the toilet. He tried to flush them all down together, but, to Stork's horror, they started to block the drains and the water rose higher. If he flushed them all one by one, Aerrow could get even more suspicious. As a last ditch effort, Stork grabbed the plunger, stood on the seat and heaved at the crystals with all his might.

Someone knocked at the door, "Hello? Anyone in there?" It was Junko.

Stork groaned, "What do you want, Junko?!"

"Well, are you alright in there?" Junko called back.

"I've - never - been - better!" Stork shouted.

"You sure? You sound a little constipated." Junko asked.

Stork narrowed his eyes. Oh, how ironic, he thought.

"Piper always said you should eat more fibre in your diet." Junko added.

Stork decided to play along, if it would make Junko go away, "Yes, thank you for that, Junko, I'll take better care of myself in future."

As soon as Junko had left, Stork pulled the chain again and the crystals soon disappeared, much to his relief.

But hiding the crystals may not have been enough. To prevent Aerrow from suspecting him to be stealing the crystals, Stork took more crystals from Piper's room and hid them in Finn and Junko's rooms. He also took Finn's bow and one of Junko's knuckle-busters, while they were not looking, and hid them in Aerrow's room. To pin some blame on Piper, Stork took the crystals from Aerrow, Finn and Junko's skimmers and hid them in her heli-scooter. He hated himself for pinning the blame on the boys, and it hurt him more to betray Piper, but he had to do it to keep his name clear.

Soon they arrived at Terra Ray, already beset with Cyclonians. It did not take Piper and the boys long to realise the absence of their crystals and weapons, but Aerrow decided they should go down anyway. As soon as they were out of sight, Stork opened the hatch to release the Talons. Dark Ace stepped onto the bridge, holding a wet and dirty crystal.

"Well, well, would you look at what I found in the waste disposal," he said sarcastically, holding up the crystal, "and this isn't the only one."

Stork realised he had been caught. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. But Dark Ace was not smiling.

He stepped up to Stork menacingly, "This ends tonight," he hissed, "park the Condor somewhere secluded and we'll drop the Storm Hawks there. And you know what'll happen if I find anymore crystals in the pisser!"

* * *

Aerrow returned to the Condor furious, "That was a total disaster!" he glared at his team, "Why can't you guys pull yourselves together? We're in the middle of an invasion and you forget your weapons!" 

"Well, excuse me, Mr High-and-Mighty," Finn answered back "but if I remember right, you didn't bother bringing your crystals!"

"Only because Piper had them!" Aerrow replied.

"Oh, so you're calling me a thief now?" Piper said outraged.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one who made a difference down there," Aerrow argued, "you lot were so busy sorting out your own fuck-ups, you hardly noticed the Terra going down."

"Look, just take a chill pill, dude. We're not all as perfect as you!" Finn replied angrily.

"And it's always gotta be about you!" Piper attacked, poking Aerrow's chest, "It's always you, you, you, you, you! Never mind us!"

"Please don't fight!" Junko pleaded, "I hate it when we fight!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Aerrow grunted under his breath, "grow up, Junko!"

"Maybe_ you_ need to grow up Aerrow!" Piper shouted at him, while Finn put a comforting arm on Junko's shoulder, "and get some sense! You're acting as if this is our entire fault!"

"Well maybe it is your fault!" Aerrow burst, his face as red as his hair, "All this suspicious behaviour started when the invasion began. And I know that one of you is in league with the Cyclonians!"

Stork had been at the Condor's controls throughout the argument and was lucky to have had his back to them all, hiding his guilt ridden face.

"Aerrow, that's crazy!" Piper answered, shocked, "We would never do a thing like that, none of us!"

"You all have your reasons for treachery. I don't know who it is yet, but I'll find out," Aerrow seemed to pause for a moment, "and what have you been doing for the past few days, eh?!"

Stork knew that that was directed at him. He tried to look as innocent as possible when he looked back at Aerrow, but Piper was already standing in front of him in protection, blocking his face from Aerrow's view.

"Aerrow, leave Stork out of this! Leave us all out of this! If anyone is guilty of treachery here, it's you! Blaming us for nothing!"

Aerrow glared at Piper. Then, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment, he stormed out of from the bridge to his room.

"Screw you," he muttered as he left, "screw you all…"

Piper put her arm around Stork in a hug, "Don't listen to him. You haven't done anything wrong."

Stork laid his head on her shoulder. If only that were the truth, he thought.

* * *

Stork slammed his head against the wall of his room that night, "What the fuck am I doing?" he groaned. 

He had never seen Aerrow express so much anger as he had done today. And it was his own actions that had inadvertently caused it. He had not expected his betrayal to have affected the team this much. Earlier that evening, Finn and Junko had found their weapons and another argument with Aerrow had ensued.

A tugging pain in his chest reminded Stork that he could no longer go back on his agreement with Dark Ace. The Cyclonian Invasion was already underway and he was steeped to far into the deception of his own team.

He left his room and stepped onto the bridge. Piper had been minding the Condor's controls for him as they prepared to enter Terra Amazonia. He put his arm around her shoulder. She giggled and put her arm around his waist and hugged him back.

"What's all this for?" she grinned.

Stork managed a small smile, "I don't know. I just…felt like it."

Hugging Piper did little to ease his aching heart. But it was his last night with the Storm Hawks. He had to make it count.

* * *

Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr all turned in one by one. Stork sat by the window, watching the darkness creep in around the Terra. He heard someone walk onto the bridge. He looked behind, expecting to see Dark Ace. But it was not him. It was Aerrow. 

"Hey. Are you coming to bed?" he asked, pointing back to the living quarters.

"Yeah, soon." Stork replied sadly.

"OK," Aerrow stood in silence for a moment, "Stork, about today… I didn't mean to speak to you like that, and I'm sorry. I just want what's best for you all. You're my friends, and I'd hate for us to fall out over this."

It moved Stork to hear Aerrow talk so sincerely and to think that what would come next would defy all he had said. A tear fell from his eye and rolled down the glass.

"Thank you, Aerrow." Stork managed to reply.

"Goodnight Stork." Aerrow smiled.

"Goodnight," Stork watched Aerrow leave the bridge to his room, and whispered quietly, "doubtless we'll ever be team mates again…"

* * *

Please R&R. 


	5. The Traitor

OK, here's the next chapter, please don't send the hounds on me!

* * *

Chapter 5: The Traitor

An hour passed. A long hour that seemed to last an eternity. But, eventually, Stork heard as the Talons stormed the living quarters, followed by a distressed shriek from Piper, a scream from Finn, and Aerrow and Junko's last ditch efforts to fight off the Talons.

Stork was still sitting by the window when Dark Ace walked onto the bridge with a pair of burly Talons. They both grabbed Stork by his arms and pulled him to his feet.

"Just play along." Dark Ace hissed at him as the Talons walked him out of the bridge.

What was the use, Stork thought. His friends were still going to find out about his betrayal. But he feigned wrestling the Talons nevertheless. They dragged him down the open hatch and outside, where Aerrow, Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr were being held, each by two muscular Talons.

"What are you doing?!" Aerrow yelled at Dark Ace, "How long have you been on the ship?!"

"I've been on the ship for a while Aerrow," Dark Ace sneered at him, "and I would've expected someone like you to have known that. Call yourself a leader."

"Not the best of leaders," came a thin, echoic voice, "no wonder you passed the offer of joining us."

"Master Cyclonis." Aerrow snarled, as the Cyclonian's leader stepped out from the shadows.

"Naturally. I just had to come and watch the Storm Hawks' first betrayal." She replied.

Here it comes, Stork thought fearfully.

"You came so close Aerrow," Dark Ace continued, "You knew there was a traitor in your team. But you never bothered to find out whom. And why?" he put his face up to Aerrow's intimidating, "because it hurts. It hurts to know that a friend could ever do something as callous as this."

Master Cyclonis continued from Dark Ace, "And he did such a good job, Dark Ace tells me, hiding my Talons in your ship, laying the blame on others and deceiving you all," she suddenly changed her tone, "Oh yes, you really helped us in our invasion, you did such a great job, didn't you, Stork?"

Aerrow, Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr all fell deathly silent and looked to Stork in disbelief. They were all stood to his right and he tried to hide his face from them behind his hair. Piper shook her head vigorously.

"You're lying!" she yelled at Master Cyclonis, "Don't listen to her guys! This is some cruel trick to split us up! Tell us she's lying, Stork!"

Piper's last sentence sounded more like pleading than ordering. Stork looked at his team through his black hair. Their expressions were all begging the same thing. Stork sighed and lowered his head in shame.

"It's all true." He muttered sadly, loud enough for his comrades to hear.

They gasped, horrified. Their faces all fell to disappointment, Piper's the most grave, which cut through Stork the most. Dark Ace and Master Cyclonis were both grinning malevolently, enjoying their victory.

"But, Stork, why?" Aerrow breathed, his voice trembling.

Stork stood in silence, looking at the ground, not knowing what to say.

"The invasion…" he eventually replied, "the Cyclonians are taking over. In the end, with all the Terras under their control, they'll kill us easily. I did this to ensure our survival…" Stork was basically repeating all Dark Ace had told him, but it was all he could say. Deep down, he wanted to go back on everything he had done.

Through his mask of hair, Stork watched as Aerrow's face changed from disappointment to anger, his green eyes narrowing and his lips thinning together.

"So now I know it all, and what I know disgusts me." Aerrow growled, spitting disgust.

"Aerrow…" Piper spoke out, trying to stop him.

"And the missing weapons and the crystals?!" he spat at Stork, "were they you're doing too?!" he almost lunged at Stork if it had not been for the Cyclonian thugs holding his arms.

Stork nodded slowly.

Aerrow was now shaking with anger, "So you'd rather run away and join the Cyclonians than fight alongside your friends, just like the coward you are," he snarled with hatred, "I don't know about you, but I would rather die at their hands before even thinking about joining them."

"It's settled then," Dark Ace suddenly answered, "if you prefer to die than join us, then so be it."

"No!" Stork cried out.

"Oh, don't worry Stork," Dark Ace sneered, "killing them right here, right now would be too easy, even for us. When all of Atmos is ours, will the chase begin."

Stork turned to Aerrow, "Take it back Aerrow, please." He begged him.

"No. Who's side are you on anyway?" he replied woodenly, his face turned from Stork.

"That's enough!" Master Cyclonis shouted out, "Talons, release them! Stork, come."

As Master Cyclonis and Dark Ace boarded the Condor, Stork, Aerrow and the others were released from the grip of the Cyclonian thugs.

"What I said to you tonight," Aerrow muttered to Stork, "didn't it mean anything to you?"

"Yes, Aerrow, I swear it did, but…" Stork trailed off, once again speechless. His chest twisted painfully and his eyes stung.

"I trusted you," Aerrow looked up at Stork with hurt eyes, "and you throw it all back in my face…"

"It's not like that-"

Aerrow turned his back from Stork, "Just go."

"Aerrow-"

He suddenly looked back and glared at Stork. His eyes were narrow and piercing, full of hatred. Stork stepped back, shocked by this one look of anger by his friend.

"Haven't you got a new master to go to?" Aerrow growled at him, his voice as low and as hating as his eyes.

Stork's pointed ears drooped. In the split second in which he took a step towards the Condor, Radarr jumped up at him and slashed the side of his face exposed from his hair. He had shut his eyes instinctively, but opening them again, with dark green blood running down his face in thin streams, he looked at his team mates. Aerrow still had his back turned; Radarr, sitting on his shoulder, bared his teeth threateningly; and Finn and Junko still bore their disbelieved faces. Looking to Piper, Stork saw in horror, tears streaming down her face. She was tightly hugging herself and was biting her lip to stifle any sobs. At that moment, Stork so wanted to comfort her and go back on all that had happened. He hated to see Piper, of all the team, so upset and disappointed.

Instead, Stork stepped up to the Condor and walked up the hatch. Taking another look back at his deceived team, a single tear fell down his cheek, mixing into the blood on his face. Turning away from them, and pacing into the Condor, all the tears that his eyes had hid throughout the entire outcome, came pouring out and he strained with all his might to gag all weeping in front of the Cyclonians.

* * *

Piper wiped away her tears with both hands and watched as the Condor ascended and soared away, under control of the Cyclonians. 

"Hey, look!" Finn suddenly pointed to a clump of bushes near to where the Condor had landed, "Our skimmers!"

True to his word, hiding in the bushes, were their three air skimmers and Piper's heli-scooter.

"Could Stork have done this?" Junko asked, pulling his out from the bushes.

"Maybe he hasn't entirely betrayed us…" Piper looked up to the sky, half relieved.

"I hope so Piper," Aerrow muttered, "I sincerely hope so…"

* * *

Please R&R. 


	6. Where Loyalties Lie

**Warning!: **There is one really gorey scene in this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6: Where Loyalties Lie

The Storm Hawks spent the night sleeping by the skimmers. The next morning, Piper spotted a problem with their situation.

"We may have our skimmers, but we don't have many crystals to keep us going for at least two days," she explained to the boys, "and we don't have any maps to show us where to go. And all our crystals and maps are on the Condor…"

Aerrow sat for a minute, thinking, "If all our supplies are on the Condor, then we should go get them."

"But the Condor could be anywhere." Piper replied.

"And it's now part of Cyclonia's army," Finn pointed out, "if we go looking for the Condor, we'll be playing straight into the hands of the enemy."

"Finn does have a point, surprisingly." Piper told Aerrow.

"And anyway, what's the point in fighting the Cyclonians without a carrier and the best pilot in all of Atmos?" Finn asked hopelessly.

Aerrow put up his hand to stop Finn, "Alright, listen! I admit that without Stork and the Condor we're fighting a losing battle, but we always were even with them. But we can't just sit here and wait for the Cyclonians to kill us. We have to do like the original Storm Hawks and fight to the bitter end!"

* * *

Stork looked down at himself and sighed. He had been made to strip of his Storm Hawks attire and into a suit of Cyclonian uniform, "Now that you are one of us." Dark Ace had said evilly. 

Stork stepped onto the bridge, now teeming with Cyclonians. Dark Ace had taken full control of the Condor and they were all under his command. While making his way to the Condor's controls, Stork realised too late that among the crowd of Talons were the bulky, scaly figures of Repton and his three brothers. He put on the crimson shades to avoid being detected and crept through the crowd.

"I couldn't care less if your commanding officer is busy!" Repton snarled at the Talons, "I want to see him immediately!"

"Silence!" boomed Dark Ace, entering the bridge with Master Cyclonis, "Your Master has an announcement to make!"

The bridge fell into silence and all eyes fell on Cyclonis. Dark Ace began to pace through the crowd, quietly inspecting everyone with his eyes.

"There are many Cyclonians who have betrayed their teams and Terras to join in the invasion," Master Cyclonis began, "but, unfortunately, there are also some amongst us who would choose to betray us. Let me make this clear to you all; I will accept no traitors in my army. And if I find any traitors, the consequences will be dire."

There came a sudden cry among the crowd, and Dark Ace came to Master Cyclonis, holding a struggling Talon in a tight headlock.

"If I find any of you betraying me, or so much as hear talk of betrayal, then this is what will happen."

Dark Ace drew his sword and began to hack at the Talons' neck. Stifled gasps of horror came from the remaining Talons and the Raptors. Stork watched on, terrified and shocked. It was understandable that the Cyclonians killed others, but even their own soldiers? The Talon kept struggling and screaming, blood spurting from his throat until Dark Ace had hacked the head completely off and let the limp body fall to the floor. He held up the severed head, arteries and ventilation tubes hanging from the neck, and threw it among the crowd. The Talons scattered as the head landed with a splat at Stork's feet. Stork stepped back, the head staring at him with frozen terror.

"And that goes for each and every one of you!" Dark Ace yelled at them all, striding through the crowd to retrieve the head. He glared at Stork, "Especially you!" he muttered to him, picking up the head.

Stork gulped and returned to the Condor's controls, shaken. Dark Ace walked up to the Raptors and tossed the head to Hoerk.

"Here! Go chew on this!" he turned to stalk away.

Repton blocked his path, "We came to talk about Bogaton," he growled, "I never agreed for it to be taken over by your regiments. Bogaton belongs to the Raptors! Cyclonis promised to leave it alone if we helped her, and what do you call this?!"

"So Master Cyclonis went back on her promise," Dark Ace replied in a couldn't-care-less tone, "who gives a shit?"

"I give a shit!" Repton suddenly roared, "Bogaton is my home. And if you won't move the Cyclonians from Bogaton, then we will! We quit being your cannon-fodder!"

"Even if you quit, you'll never take Bogaton back!" Dark Ace snarled, "We'll take all the Terras in Atmos and kill everyone that gets in our way! Including you!"

"Never! I swear on my brethren, that the Cyclonians will fall to the Raptors!" Repton growled, "We may be few against you all, but the Raptors never abandon their prey! I swear it! From now on, any Cyclonian battalion found in Bogaton shall be destroyed!"

Repton then stalked out from the bridge and, alongside his brothers, left the Condor.

"Stork! Set a course for Terra Deep!" Dark Ace ordered then, turning to the Talons, added, "Let's show those Murk Raiders whose boss!"

* * *

"Man, this plan is way too crazy, even for us!" Finn exclaimed. 

The Storm Hawks had finally located the Condor, which had been flying with a battalion of Cyclonian warships. Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr had hung back behind the battalion while Aerrow had gone ahead to sneak onto the Condor.

Aerrow had been hiding on the bridge, listening to all conversations and waiting for the Talons to leave the ship on their next massacre. Eventually, the battalion arrived at Terra Deep, the clouds dark and thick like smoke and a Murk Raider barge already in sight of the Condor. Waves of Talons left the ships and soared towards their target.

The bridge was deserted, apart from Stork, at the controls. Aerrow left his hiding place and crawled quietly towards the trunk in which they kept their crystals. He removed as many crystals as he could carry, stuffing them into the pockets of his battle suit.

There was a map lying on the table on the other side of the bridge. Aerrow crept as silently as he could on his hands and knees. As he reached the table, he quickly removed the map and folded it carefully before hiding it up his sleeve.

The Condor's intruder alert suddenly blasted out around the ship. Stork looked back at Aerrow, his hand on a lever. Aerrow was too shocked by his friend's one action that he did not hear the Talons entering the bridge until they had seized him, thrown him against the table, and cuffed his wrists together.

* * *

The Murk Raider's barge ships were all over taken by the barge ships, all three impaled on the jagged rock pillars. Many of the Murk Raiders themselves were immediately slaughtered as the Cyclonians stormed their fallen ships. Only Captain Scabulous and a few lone soldiers had been taken prisoner in an attempt to have them join the Cyclonians. 

As Dark Ace inspected his captives, he was approached by a Talon.

"Commander, an intruder has been caught on board the carrier." He reported.

"And I suppose I've got to take care of it?" Dark Ace sighed and paced away muttering, "If you want something done right…"

"Er, Commander…" the Talon stammered.

"WHAT?!" Dark Ace yelled.

"Wha-what about the survivors?"

Dark Ace looked back at the Murk Raiders and replied, "There are no survivors."

* * *

Stork could not bear to look at Aerrow after what he had done. He had listened to him take the crystals and the map before setting off the alarm. He had not wanted to alert the Talons of him, and yet he did not want to be responsible for the disappearance of their crystals, and risk having his own head severed off in front of a live audience. Stork had told the Talons of the crystals, but kept quiet about the map. If Dark Ace spared Aerrow's life, he would at least get away with knowing the Cyclonians' next destination. 

Dark Ace walked onto the bridge and grinned at the sight of Aerrow, still pinned against the table by the Talons.

"Well, this is very interesting. Caught stealing crystals on your own ship, and Stork pulled the alarm on you too," he sniggered and glanced at Stork, who looked away in shame, "unfortunately, as much as I would like to kill you now, it's still far too easy."

Dark Ace instructed the Talons to place Aerrow on the launch pad in the middle of the bridge. Stork saw what was coming next.

"Let's test your loyalty to the Cyclonians, Stork. Throw him off the ship!" he ordered.

Stork looked down at Aerrow, his green eyes staring back at him pleadingly. Then he cast his eyes over the lever that could send his friend plummeting to his death.

"I – I can't…" he stammered.

Dark Ace stalked up to him and put his face intimidatingly close to his, "Throw him off the ship, or I'll hack both your heads off!"

Stork looked back at Aerrow. If he was here, then the others would be bound to be nearby and may be able to catch him as he fell. Stork would have to take that chance, for both of them.

As quick as he could, he raised his hand, gripped the lever and pulled down. The Condor's ceiling opened up and Aerrow as thrust out. From the window, Stork watched as he fell into the dark, but was immediately followed by the others on their skimmers.

* * *

Just as Stork had hoped, Junko managed to catch Aerrow and carried him to safety on the flat of a rock pillar. 

"We can't stay here for long," Aerrow explained to his team later that evening, "all the Murk Raiders may be gone, but the Cyclonians will be coming to settle in soon."

"Did you get anything?" Finn asked.

"Only this map," Aerrow replied, pulling it out of his sleeve, "Stork let on to the Talons about the crystals I tried to get."

Piper took the map and looked, "This map has all the Cyclonians' battle tactics of invading Terra Bogaton! It must be their next target!"

Aerrow inspected the map, and his eyes lit up, "And it may just help with my next plan," he told them, "I tried to break into the Condor by myself, and it didn't exactly work. So next time, I'll try breaking in with reinforcements."

"What reinforcements?" Piper asked.

Aerrow smiled at her sheepishly, "Well, that's the catch. You guys may not agree with me at first, but trust me; this plan may actually work…"

* * *

Please R&R. 


	7. Turning Tables

**Warning!: **There is another gorey scene in this chapter, and any fans of Hoerk will not like it.

* * *

Chapter 7: Turning Tables

"Of all your crazy plans, Aerrow, this has to be the craziest!" Piper hissed at him as they paced through the trees of Terra Bogaton, "What makes you think that the Raptors would ever want to help us?!"

"Because, we want to help them." Aerrow replied, smiling at her.

"Since when?" Finn asked.

"Since now," Aerrow answered, "look, we have a map of the Cyclonians' take-over tactics. They have battalions, crystals and stealth. I'm sure if Repton sees sense, he may agree to a small alliance."

* * *

"Never!" Repton yelled, "The Raptors never ally with inferior species! All other species are below the Raptors and are our prey. We are superior and will not subject ourselves to such embarrassment!" 

"Do you always give your victims this shit before sinking your teeth in?" Piper asked, hands on hips. Repton snarled.

"Listen, we're all on the same ship here," Aerrow stood between Repton and Piper, "the Cyclonians are trying to take over your Terra, and they'll likely be trying to take our home Terra too. Wouldn't it be better if we abandoned all past opinions on each other and worked together, just this once, for the good of Atmos?"

Aerrow watched as Repton pondered over his statement.

"I don't know," he sighed, "what have you to offer us?"

"We have this," Aerrow whipped out the map and gave it to Repton, "the Cyclonians have left all their battle tactics of invasion all over the map. With this, you can prepare yourselves for the attack."

Repton scanned the map, snarling under his breath, "You would give us this?"

"Yes, and help protect your Terra, so long as you agree to help us infiltrate one of their ships and help us to defend our Terra."

It was a lot to ask of a Raptor, but it was also a lot to give a Raptor; defending Bogaton was going to be easier said than done.

Repton looked Aerrow in the eye, "We'll agree to a small, temporary alliance. And this deal never happened."

Aerrow nodded, "Understood."

Repton turned to his brothers, "Prepare the battalions! The Cyclonians are coming!"

* * *

An hour later, the Cyclonian battalion was seen approaching Bogaton over the horizon. Piper, Leugey, and many of the Raptors' regiments stayed on the ground of Bogaton, while Finn, Junko, Spitz, Hoerk and more regiments provided air defence. Alongside Repton and a small group of Raptors, Aerrow and Radarr would infiltrate the Condor for crystals and maps. 

Just like in their previous invasions, hundreds of Talons were expelled from the warships. Spitz, Hoerk and the Raptors set about beheading the Talons, while Finn and Junko simply knocked them off their skimmers.

Dark Ace looked on from the Condor at his failing troops, "It doesn't make any sense; how did they know?"

There came a sudden crash as Aerrow and Repton burst onto the bridge. Dark Ace glared at him, "Do you ever give up?!" he yelled.

"No." Aerrow answered simply, grinning.

Dark Ace drew his sword and ran into battle with Aerrow. Radarr meanwhile, ignorant of Stork, grabbed as many maps as his mouth and claws could carry, and Repton grabbed the container of crystals. As Radarr and Repton left with their prizes, Aerrow and Dark Ace continued their fight. Stork pulled down on a lever and a heavy metal block came falling down from the ceiling and onto Dark Ace's head, knocking him unconscious.

Aerrow looked up to Stork surprised, who turned his back from him and returned to the controls. Aerrow turned to leave, but then muttered, "Thanks…" before walking out of the bridge.

* * *

When Dark Ace eventually came around, Master Cyclonis stood over him scowling. 

"Had a nice nap, have we?" she hissed.

Dark Ace sat up and looked around. He was lying on the bridge and it looked dark outside.

"I had to have your little battalion retreat. You've failed to capture one little Terra…" she explained shrilly.

Dark Ace leapt to his feet, "They knew! The Raptors knew we were coming!"

"And maybe it's about time you reminded them of the penalty of betrayal," she turned her back on him and began to walk away, "consider it your retribution for letting me down…"

As soon as Master Cyclonis had left, Dark Ace summoned three of his best Talons. The Raptors would not expect this next attack. He would make them pay.

* * *

Terra Bogaton was rife with excitement as the Raptors celebrated their victory. The scaly beasts roared deafeningly at the moon, ripped flesh from the bones of small Bogaton mammals greedily and play-wrestled in mud patches. As mis-managed as the festivities were, Aerrow could not help but smile. 

"It may be just one victory amongst many losses," he said to Piper, "but it is a step forward. Hopefully, we may be able to take back all the lost Terras."

Piper looked up at the moon, "And maybe even get Stork back on the team…" she muttered optimistically.

Aerrow hoped the same thing. Stork may have let him down yesterday, but today… There must be more to his betrayal than we know, he thought. Would Stork really be on the Cyclonians' side if he had left their skimmers when he joined them, let him get away with a crucial map and even knock out Dark Ace to help him escape?

Aerrow's thoughts were disturbed when four Cyclonians flew above the Raptors' heads and disappeared into the dark.

"Cyclonians!" Repton growled, "After them! Kill them!"

"Murder! Murder!" came the sudden frantic scream of a Raptor, standing among the trees and pointing behind him.

Repton, followed by the Storm Hawks and the other Raptors, bolted through the trees until he reached an embankment, where he met a horrid sight; a group of five Raptors had been slaughtered, their throats and guts ripped out, bloodied organs glistening in the moon's glow. And among the bodies, was –

"HOERK!" Repton screamed, of pure horror, shock, and sorrow.

The bulkiest of Repton's brothers lay in a pool of blood, still leaking from his body. His head had been completely severed from the neck, eyes wide open and jaws gaping. Repton ran down to his dead brother and collapsed onto his body. What the Storm Hawks saw next was an entirely different side to the vehement Raptor.

Great tears ran down his cheeks as he nuzzled Hoerk's head, smearing blood on his face. He lifted his own head to the sky and let out a loud, fearful roar, the greatest of all the Raptors' expressions of immense grief

"Oh, Hoerk! What have they done to you?!" he sobbed outwardly, "What the hell have those evil bastards done?!"

Leugey and Spitz too soon discovered their brother's brutal murder and mourned alongside Repton, all three crying at the moon. Aerrow was about to turn to leave them to grieve alone, but Repton looked back at him, snarling.

"Master Cyclonis warned us of this!" he struggled to his feet and stepped towards Aerrow, "She threatened to kill us if we dared betray her. Can't you see what you've brought on us?" more tears fell from his eyes as he spoke.

"I'm sorry," Aerrow apologised, "I didn't know that this would happen."

That was a lie. Aerrow was well aware of the penalty of betrayal from hiding on the Condor the day before. Right now, he almost felt responsible for Hoerk's death.

Repton turned his back on him, "Just leave, and forget about the deal, you've helped enough. Just leave now."

"But-"

"Get out!" Repton yelled, "I will not lose anymore of my brothers to those fuckers! Get out now and never come back!"

There was no use in trying to persuade him any longer. In the short time it had taken to kill a Raptor, all of Aerrow's hopes of saving Atmos had been shattered. The Storm Hawks left the Raptors to mourn and returned to their skimmers.

Repton knelt beside Hoerk's body, "I swear, that whoever murdered Hoerk, is gonna pay for it!" he threw his head up to the sky and yelled, "You here me you bastards! I'm gonna make you pay!"

"We'll get ye, shitheads!" Spitz yelled too.

* * *

Please R&R.


	8. My Friend, My Enemy

It was all going well until Hoerk was killed. Now, it gets worse...

* * *

Chapter 8: My Friend, My Enemy

As the sun rose above the cloud cover, the Storm Hawks glimpsed their home Terra in the distance.

"Terra Atmosia," Aerrow sighed with relief, "we've finally made it."

"And it won't be long before the Cyclonians make it here too." Piper mentioned.

"Well, this is our home, and we have to fight for it, no matter what gets in our way." He replied firmly.

* * *

Sure enough, just as the Storm Hawks had landed in Atmosia's streets, Dark Ace's battalion could be seen fast approaching the Terra. But they were not the only Cyclonians advancing in. From the other side of Terra Atmosia another large battalion, this one commanded by Ravess, was moving in. Very soon, the multitudes of waves of Talons were released. 

The Storm Hawks, alongside the Red Eagles, flew into battle with the Talons. But, once again, there were far too many Cyclonians and the streets became littered with the bodies of civilians, mutilated and piled together. The warships also began to topple the buildings, burying the ruined city under rubble.

As Aerrow gazed over his devastated home, he discovered the Condor, flying overhead and opening the hatch, releasing its load of Talons. Aerrow immediately went soaring up to his ship, zooming past all the Talons. He had to stop all the carnage, even if it meant seizing back his ship by force. Piper was the only one who noticed him ascending to the Condor and followed him, sensing trouble.

Aerrow flew over the open hatch and entered the ship, drawing his twin blades and leaping off his skimmer. Followed by Piper and Radarr, Aerrow walked onto the bridge, where Stork stood by the controls, alone.

"Stork! Stop this now!" Aerrow cried, "This is our home!"

"There's no turning back for me, not here, not now." Stork replied sadly, turning to face Aerrow.

"If you won't turn the Condor around, then I will." Aerrow stepped towards the controls, but Stork slammed his Cyclonian lance down onto them.

"Aerrow, please, just go back now," Stork pleaded, "Don't make this any harder than it already is."

It was a heartfelt plea, but all Aerrow felt was anger. He gripped his blades tightly.

"I can see you're scratching for a fight. OK, you got one!" Aerrow replied vehemently, when in truth, it was he who wanted to fight, not Stork, "I'm not gonna stand by and watch you destroy our home. I'll do whatever it takes to get our ship back and save Atmosia, even if it means killing you to do it, you treacherous bastard!"

"Aerrow, No!" Piper shrieked, Radarr cowering on her shoulder.

Aerrow's response struck Stork harder than his betrayal. Looking at Aerrow now, all he saw in his green eyes was hatred. Stork put his lance in both hands.

"So, OK, come and get it, asshole!" he replied in fury.

Aerrow and Stork both stepped towards each other, readying their weapons. They circled, like opposing beasts, until Aerrow leapt at Stork first. He hit at him with his blades, but Stork blocked every attack with the lance. He then lashed out his leg, kicking Aerrow in the stomach and sending him flying over the bridge. Quickly Aerrow got back on his feet and continued fighting.

At first it continued on like this; Aerrow kept throwing more offensive attacks while Stork just kept on blocking them. How does he know what to do? Aerrow thought, his attacks becoming more frantic. His thoughts began to boil over, building up his anger. How can he fight like this? He can't fight like this! It's not fair! He's just a Merb! He's just a fucking Merb!

Just then, his anger completely out of control, Aerrow dropped one of his blades and landed a hard punch on Stork's exposed left eye.

Stork staggered back, dropping his lance and putting a hand to his eye. He stood there, for about a minute, in complete shock. Even Aerrow had devastated himself with that freak lash out that had happened automatically. Stork removed his hand and looked up at Aerrow, his own eyes reflecting his revulsion. The shock faded. Aerrow dropped his other blade. Stork flung himself at Aerrow with a galled cry, and their real fight began.

They fought like animals, with the same brutality the Cyclonians had exacted upon Atmos. With hate fuelled strength, they punched and kicked directly at each other, pulled hair, tore clothes, clawed faces, and spat in eyes. Blood dribbled from cuts on their skin, and from their eyes, noses and mouths. Aerrow's anger at Stork, and Stork's anger with his own self, which they had both kept bottled up, was now being released in fierce bouts of violence. Piper and Radarr stood cowering, with their backs against the wall. Piper kept begging them to stop, but no amount of pleas could halt the battle. They were both blind to the world, locked in their struggle.

The fight only lasted minutes, but Aerrow used up his strength quickly, and began to tire. Stork noticed. He gripped the shoulder of Aerrow's shirt and slammed him forcefully against the wall. He curled his free hand into a fist and pulled it back to deliver the final blow to Aerrow's head. But his hand was held in place, quivering in the air.

Aerrow kept a straight and angry face, but tears spilled from his eyes, eyes that now expressed the same disappointment and sadness as on the night of Stork's betrayal.

"I thought you were better than this," he murmured, his voice cracking, "I seriously thought you were. I never once imagined that you would do this to us."

Stork lowered his fist and turned his back on Aerrow, walking away. He half expected him to attack him, but, looking back; he stood there, still glaring.

"Get off my ship." Stork muttered as he returned to the controls. It was all he could say. He no longer wanted to look at Aerrow, his friend, now his enemy.

Thankfully for Stork, Aerrow left immediately. Returning outside, he was hit with the horrid realisation that Terra Atmosia had fallen.

Finn and Junko flew up to him, "Aerrow! We have to leave! Now!" Finn yelled.

Aerrow watched the Cyclonian flagships as they descended down upon the defeated Terra. Various citizens who had survived the massacre fled on their skimmers. It was pointless fighting any longer.

"Storm Hawks! Retreat!" Aerrow yelled to his team, and as they left, he broke down in tears. He had lost too much in this terrible affair. He had lost his friend, his ship, and now his home.

* * *

Dark Ace returned to the Condor in high spirits, "Congratulations, Stork. Never thought you had it in you to capture your home Terra," he grinned evilly, "you really are becoming a Cyclonian." 

When he caught sight of the state Stork was in, the smile faded. Stork's uniform was torn, blood trickled from his nose, both his eyes were black and bruised and his oil-black hair hung in matted clumps.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Dark Ace asked rudely.

Stork glared at him, "None of your business." He muttered.

Dark Ace frowned, "Park the ship and clean yourself up!" he ordered.

* * *

As evening set in, the Storm Hawks made camp on Terra Gale, free from Cyclonians, but desolate of Wren and Dove. In the fading light, Piper cleaned Aerrow's wounds. 

"It hurts Piper…" he whispered, although not wincing in pain, "it hurts so much…"

Fresh tears fell from his eyes. He did not feel pain from his injuries, but from his aching heart.

* * *

Please R&R. 


	9. One Moment in Time

This chapter is pretty special to me as I poured quite a bit of my heart into it.

* * *

Chapter 9: One Moment in Time

Aerrow, Radarr, Finn and Junko lay on their backs, gazing at the night sky.

"Cod fillets naturale… cod fillets boiled…" Junko sighed dreamily, "cod fillets lightly grilled basted in butter, ahhh… or cold with mayonnaise-"

"Can't you think of anything except food?" Finn asked.

"It's how I get to sleep on a night." Junko explained.

Piper walked past them and went to her heli-scooter. Aerrow sat up.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Oh, just out for a little ride," Piper replied smiling, but Aerrow was not fooled and frowned suspiciously. Piper sighed and answered angrily, "OK, Aerrow, you know where I'm going, and you can't stop me!"

Aerrow got to his feet, "He isn't coming back, Piper, he said so today!"

"Well he won't be coming back with what you did to him today!" Piper replied, "Stork wasn't the one scratching for a fight, you were! And you just couldn't help taking it out on him either!"

"He deserved it…" Aerrow muttered to the ground.

Piper slapped him, right on a deep scratch on his cheek, which sent him reeling back in pain, "Sort yourself out, Aerrow." She muttered, turning back to her heli-scooter and mounting it.

Aerrow watched as Piper flew away, in the direction of Terra Atmosia, "Man, is everyone on my team a traitor?" he grumbled.

* * *

Piper arrived at the ruined Terra Atmosia and, sure enough, the Condor was hovering beside the many warships with its hatch open, much to her surprise. As she flew up to the hatch, she heard the Cyclonians celebrating their victory down below in the devastation. She hid her heli-scooter near the runway and made her way to the bridge. The Condor was quiet and desolate of the Talons. 

As Piper walked onto the bridge, she found Stork, sitting by the window, looking out sorrowfully at the dark. It saddened her to see him so miserable. She silently stepped out and whispered his name through the quietude. Stork's ears immediately pricked up and he turned his head towards her. His bruised eyes widened in astonishment and he smiled faintly. Piper smiled back gladly. He stood up and walked up to her, biting his trembling lip. Facing her, he bent his head in shame and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Hey, come here." Piper beckoned, with outstretched arms.

They both embraced and Stork wept openly on her shoulder, while she rubbed his back comfortingly. Despite his tears, Stork felt glad to see a friendly face during this terrible time.

* * *

"I had to come see you," Piper told him later that evening, "just to make sure that Aerrow hadn't done you any real harm. I've missed you." 

"I've missed you too, terribly, more than anything," Stork replied sincerely, then suddenly groaned, "I don't want to do this anymore, Piper. I don't want to keep hurting you and the boys. I never wanted to join the Cyclonians, but I did it because I was afraid, for my own well-being, but it doesn't matter anymore. Just so as I can be with you all, my life wouldn't mean anything to me."

Piper put a hand on his shoulder, "If you truly feel that way, you can still come back."

Tears spilled down Stork's face, "Aerrow doesn't want me back, not after all I've done. And how could I come back? I can never pretend that this didn't happen."

Piper laid her head against his back, "I know. I'll never forget this, but without you, we aren't a team, we've completely fallen apart. With each of Aerrow's crazy plans, I still expect to hear your voice, explaining how we're all going to fail," a small smile grew on her face as she spoke, but now it faded, "It's just not the same without you."

"Would you take me back?" Stork asked.

"Of course I would," Piper replied, her voice cracking, "whatever you decide to do, whoever you decide to choose, I'll accept your choice, and the boys will come to accept it too."

She spoke as if Stork had already chosen to keep on the Cyclonians' side. Ever since arriving on the Condor that night, she had prepared herself for the worst. She didn't want to rely on false hope.

Piper wrapped her arms around Stork, placing her hands on his stomach. Stork laid his own hands on Pipers, and closed his eyes.

They both stood in this stance for a short time, silently enjoying each other's company. It was a happy moment and a sad moment too, one moment in which they were both together, but alone from the world. They could have stood like this for the entire night if they had so wished to, but outside, it was growing quiet.

Piper gripped Stork's hand firmly and rubbed his shoulder with the other, "I have to go." She said sadly.

Stork drew in a shuddering breath, "What do I do, Piper?" he sighed despairingly.

Piper let go of his hand and he turned to face her, "Whoever. Side you choose to be on, we'll be at Terra Bogaton."

"You could be condemning yourself, telling me this." Stork told her.

"I know…" she muttered, then embraced him tightly, almost as if it were her last night with him. Her voice cracked with tears, "Goodbye, Stork… I love you…" she whispered.

Piper slowly parted from him, and walked across the bridge and to the runway.

Tears fell from Stork's eyes profusely, "I'm sorry…" he moaned, though Piper had already disappeared from the bridge, "Please, don't leave me…"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Piper as she flew away into the dark. He stumbled to the window and put his hand against the glass.

"Take me with you," He wept quietly, "please, take me with you…"

Overcome with sadness, he fell to his knees, dragging his hand down the glass. There, his arched shoulders shook as he sobbed openly, lost, afraid and lonely.

* * *

"I've told you once already!" Repton exploded, "I want nothing more to do with the Cyclonians!" 

Instead of returning straight back to Terra Gale, Piper had made one more trip to Bogaton. Repton, Spitz and Leugey had, just some moments ago, buried their brother Hoerk.

"I will not help you any longer if it means endangering the lives of my remaining brothers!" He yelled at her.

"I'm not asking you to help us!" Piper shouted back, "I'm giving you the chance to avenge your brother!"

Repton was stunned, by both her bravery and her proposition. He hissed, "Alright, I'm listening..."

* * *

Please R&R.


	10. A Father's Legacy

This chapter relates back to the beginning of Chapter One.

* * *

Chapter 10: A Father's Legacy

The night dragged on. The Talons lay about the ship sleeping in drunken stupors. At about an hour past midnight, Stork stepped onto the bridge and sat by the window in the dark. He was still exhausted from his fight with Aerrow, but his mind was plagued with too many thoughts for him to sleep.

The chance for him to return to the Storm Hawks was in reach, but Aerrow had made it clear that he probably did not want him back, although Stork did feel some responsibility for his current attitude. Then, of course, if Stork did return to the Storm Hawks, the Cyclonians would still come back and kill them all in the end. Much to Stork's surprise, that did not seem to bother him as much as it had done before. It had always been in his blood and his species' instinct to fear and avoid death, but right now, dying alongside his friends did not seem that big a deal.

There had been something his father had told him when he had become the Condor's pilot; "You may feel now that your own well-being means more to you than your comrades' lives. But, as you grow to know them, you will find that they will mean more to you than anything. Like me with my squadron…" he had added sadly.

Stork's father, Sparrowhawk, had explained how he had been part of a Sky Knight squadron, but he had never really told Stork of his own team. He did however know a lot about the original Storm Hawks. When Stork and his friends were young, Sparrowhawk had told them all about the Storm Hawks, which had inspired them to become the second Storm Hawks squadron. When they had found the wrecked Condor around a year ago, Sparrowhawk had helped them to repair it and even taught Stork how to drive it.

Sparrowhawk had taught Stork a lot. Ever since he was five years of age, he had been taught all types of martial arts, including Sky Fu, all the basics of mechanics and, Stork's personal favourite, laying traps. Stork's mother, Fulmar, had often fallen foul of many of these traps. This training had gone on for the past ten years, up until Stork left his parents and became a Storm Hawk. It had always crossed his mind that his father could have been one of the original Storm Hawks, but the legend always was that the entire team had been killed by Dark Ace.

A thought suddenly struck him and, before he knew it, Stork had left the bridge and was stepping over the sleeping Talons towards Piper's room, where all the Squadron Logs were stored. Sure enough, as he looked through the bookcase, he found many logs, whereas Piper had only managed to fill one within their short time on the ship. He selected one and flicked through its thin pages.

He recognised his father's handwriting immediately, although it had gone through some change over the past years. He kept looking through all the logs, until he found the one that was dated as the earliest. His father's first account.

* * *

Squadron Log 

This is the account of the official Sky Knight squadron, the Storm Hawks. Our team is comprised of five members; Ace, thirteen years, Leader; Jay, twenty-one years, weapons specialist; Guillemot, twenty-four years, heavy ballistics; Kite, twenty-eight years, tactics and navigations; and I, Sparrowhawk, thirty-five years, carrier pilot.

* * *

As Stork had just read, he felt overwhelmed to know now that not all of the Storm Hawks had been killed. But something else struck him as unusual; could Ace have been Dark Ace in an earlier life? Stork tried to shake it off as just a coincidence, but, as he read through the logs, he made an unsettling discovery.

* * *

Squadron Log 

I feel glad to have Ace on our team. Even at his young age he shows incredible strength and talent and am confident that, in joining us, he will grow into a magnificent warrior and serve Atmos well. But I must not shower all my care on Ace. The baby is due anytime soon. I cannot deny that the baby has cut short my time with the Storm Hawks, but I believe they will benefit with a new and preferably younger pilot to me. I have at least two years left until I must leave, so I must teach Ace as much as I can before time runs out.

Squadron Log

Teaching Ace is easier said than done. He may have talent, but he is impatient and arrogant. At times I think that maybe it was a mistake to elect Ace as leader. He has no sense of team welfare and his sense of justice is more of injustice. We have trouble with the Cyclonians, and Ace's solution of ridding them is murder. How can a young man like him have such a mind as to kill others? The Cyclonians may be our enemies, but as Sky Knights we cannot afford to stoop to their level.

Squadron Log

The Cyclonians never always used to cause trouble in Atmos. I knew their current leader, Master Cyclonis Senior, as once an honourable member of the Great Council of Atmos. His views of holding more power over Atmos had grown into total control and could not be tolerated by the council. After he was resigned from office, he threatened to use all he could to gain control. From then on, the Sky Knights have been at war with the Cyclonians. Now, Master Cyclonis Senior is a crippling old man who still battles for control over Atmos, despite that he also has cancer in his gut and will not be around much longer. Fortunately for him, he has an heir, a very young daughter without a name. Why should she have a name? By the time her father kicks the bucket, she'll have inherited the title of Master Cyclonis. It's the sad fate of the Cyclonis family.

Squadron Log

Ace has attempted to end Master Cyclonis Senior's life early. The poor old bastard is on his death-bed and we have to at least respect him in his last days. Jay, Guill, Kite and I went after him and infiltrated Cyclonia. When we found him he was standing over Senior's bed, sword drawn, but his face showed much inner tumult that he was frozen from any attack upon Senior. His young daughter was also there, by her dying father's side. She looked so innocent and afraid that you could not imagine she was destined to inherit Senior's empire.

Squadron Log

Ace has changed so much more since we heard of Master Cyclonis Senior's death. He seems to be in so much shock and sadness. I believe that something must have happened between him and Senior when he attempted to kill him. He is also expressing so much more anger now that I fear for the well-being of the team and his position as leader. The enemies we now face have all met many a terrible death at Ace's hands. If this carries on any longer, I may have to make the decision I have long since dreaded.

Squadron Log

Jay, Guill, Kite and I have all decided to denounce Ace from his position as leader. In his place we have elected Jay as new leader. Jay shows more care for the team and I hope that he will outstand Ace and guide the team in the right way. I have wasted my past two years on trying to train Ace. He was furious of his abdication and has consequently left the Storm Hawks. It will be hard for Jay, Guill and Kite to carry on as a broken team, but they have found a new pilot willing to drive the Condor, and there will be many more lone Sky Knights out there. Soon the Storm Hawks will be a full team, maybe not right now, but someday.

Squadron Log

This has been a sad day for me, my last day ever with the Storm Hawks, but I am looking forward to seeing Fulmar and Stork after spending so long away from them. The Condor is en route to Terra Atmosia and I can hardly wait to get there. Jay, Guill and Kite have been very quiet.

* * *

**Thirteen years ago**

"Sorry if I'm interrupting you, Sparrowhawk, but this ship is going down." Ace pointed down to the ship's floor.

"What are you doing here, Ace?" Sparrowhawk asked, struggling to keep a hold on the controls.

"I'm reaping my revenge on those who so dishonourably disowned me." Ace replied.

Looking at Ace, Sparrowhawk realised with sick horror that his Cyclonian suit was stained with blood.

"Jay, Guill, Kite…you - you killed them?!" he stammered

"They deserved to die," Ace replied bitterly, "and so do you. But I admire you, Sparrowhawk. You have taught me so much, not all of it necessary, but interesting still. Join us, the future is Cyclonia, it belongs to Cyclonis."

Sparrowhawk was bewildered, "Is that the same shit Senior told you?" he sighed and his anger grew, "I should have known; only a guy as screwed up as you would join the Cyclonians."

"I take it you won't be joining us then, fine," Ace drew his sword, "I didn't want to be responsible for this, but you leave me with no other choice."

Sparrowhawk pulled his katana from the scabbard strapped to his back, the blade glowing bright green, "I will never die by your hands, Ace, I'll make sure of it."

Ace was the first to attack, but the fight was immediately cut short. Ace was talented, but Sparrowhawk was far more experienced. With deft movements of his blade, he blocked Ace's attack and disarmed him. He then raised his katana and brought it down onto Ace's shoulder, severing a great many nerves and tendons and paralysing his left arm. It was Sparrowhawk's merciful alternative to murder; disabling an enemy's weapon arm.

Ace fell to his knees, blood flowing from his shoulder, "You bastard!" he spat.

The Condor gave a sudden lurch. Its second pontoon had almost given up. Ace retrieved his sword and struggled to his feet, his arm dangling lifelessly.

"I'm not going to die on this ship!" he growled and half-ran, half-staggered off the bridge.

Sparrowhawk returned to the Condor's controls and tried to keep the ship hovering. An explosion sounded and he jolted in shock, his old Merb instincts kicking in. The ship was falling; through the clouds and towards the wastelands.

Fighting the panic coursing through his body, Sparrowhawk pushed the hatch release button and retreated to the runway. Without hesitation, he leapt onto his skimmer and flew from the ship at high speed. From a safe distance, Sparrowhawk watched as the Condor, now the tomb of Jay, Guillemot and Kite, vanished below the cloud cover.

* * *

Stork had, unknowingly, spent almost the entire night reading his father's logs, every one of the thousands of accounts. Only very few had stood out as important as to the Storm Hawks' past, but Stork was still dazed at his discovery. Not only had his father been a Storm Hawk, but so too had Dark Ace, the leader. 

Just as Stork had finished reading the final account, which had come to an abrupt end, a sheet of folded paper fell from the back of the log. It was labelled simply:

Stork

Putting the log back, Stork picked up and unfolded the paper. It was a letter, written by his father, in his own handwriting.

* * *

Stork 

I hope and trust that you are reading this now. As you may have just read, the Ace in my squadron is the same Dark Ace that terrorizes Atmos to this day. My last account was written on the same day in which I realised what a tyrant Ace really was. He was only fifteen at the time, and yet he had the vigour to slaughter his own team, Jay, Guillemot and Kite, whom I shall sorely miss.

I know that the past ten years have been difficult for you, given our people's nerves. But I knew that Dark Ace would always be around, still striking fear into the hearts of Atmos' people. I had to start training you at a young age, in preparation for when you too will have to fight Dark Ace. He may be strong, but I have not taught him as much as I have you.

Betrayal can be a terrible mistake to make, as I have learnt with Ace. But even with betrayal, there is always a chance to put right this mistake. Though it may not seem like it, loyalty and friendship is what binds a team together, even through treachery. Despite murdering my friends, I would forgive Ace if he had gone back on his crime.

I sincerely hope that you never make the same mistake as Ace. Remember all I have taught you, and good luck, my son.

Your father, Sparrowhawk

* * *

Tears came to Stork's eyes. I'm just as bad as Dark Ace, he thought sadly. He kept reading through the letter, and suddenly felt a fresh surge of hope. He returned to the bridge and, from a secret compartment near the controls, he retrieved a long, thin, rectangular box. He opened the box and lifted it out; his father's katana, still in its scabbard. Lying in the box also was a bright green Striker Crystal. Stork strapped the katana to his back and stored the crystal in his pocket. He looked out the window and to the sun, just rising above the cloud cover. 

He knew now what he must do.

* * *

Please R&R. 


	11. Bloodshed

**Warning!: **This is the penultimate chapter, which gets very violent and gorey.

* * *

Chapter 11: Bloodshed

The sun rose through the morning sky as Piper led the boys over the clouds.

"But why Bogaton?" Aerrow asked, "Repton told us never to come back."

"It's all part of my plan, Aerrow, trust me." Piper replied.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm finding it very hard to trust anyone." Aerrow stated, but followed Piper none the less.

* * *

Stork slammed his hand down on the Condor's alarm and opened the hatch, "Mayday! Mayday! This is a code red emergency! Evacuate the carrier immediately!" he yelled into a headset. 

The Talons, many sleeping with hangovers, were awoken suddenly and left the ship as quickly as they could. As soon as Stork was sure that all the Talons had left, he switched the headset's settings to the outside loudspeaker.

"OK, I have one thing to say to you all," He spoke through the headset, then shouted, "You're all screwed!"

Closing the hatch, Stork returned to the Condor's controls and the ship sped off from Terra Atmosia and en route to Bogaton. He had made his decision and, as he flew across the sky at full speed, he felt happier than he ever had been.

* * *

The Storm Hawks hovered above Terra Bogaton. 

"Alright, we're here. So what's your plan?" Aerrow asked Piper.

"Be patient, Aerrow," Piper replied, "all will be revealed eventually.

Aerrow flew his skimmer in front of Piper, "This has something to do with the Cyclonians, doesn't it?"

Piper frowned, "You know what this is all about, Aerrow. But we're only here just in case any Talons do turn up,"

Aerrow looked at her, confused. Piper sighed, "OK, I admit it; I did go to see Stork last night. And do you know what? He was upset and distraught. He didn't choose to join the Cyclonians, he was bullied into it. And you're just making it worse for him. Do you know what he told me last night? Aerrow doesn't want to take me back. Now you tell me this; is that the truth?"

Aerrow bent his head, ashamed, "No. I do want to take him back, and forget everything that's happened. But now I just feel angry all the time, but I want to put things right with Stork and stop all this anger." He confessed.

"Then talk to him." Piper told him, urging.

"How?" Aerrow asked.

The silence was cut as a loud horn blasted out. In the horizon, the Condor was flying towards them, alone.

"That's how." Piper smiled.

Aerrow pressed a button on his skimmer, "Aerrow to Condor. Is that you, Stork?" he spoke out.

"Yeah, it's just me," Stork's voice answered, "no Cyclonians on my ship."

Aerrow smiled at Piper as Finn and Junko celebrated.

"I'm glad you came back." Aerrow sighed, relieved.

"Yeah, well, I – Cyclonians! Behind you!" Stork yelled through the intercom.

Aerrow looked back and gasped horrified, as three gigantic warships began to approach, accompanied by waves of Talons.

"They're not with me, Aerrow, I swear it – argh!" Stork yelped, and the transmission was immediately cut.

The Condor stopped in its tracks, hovering just some miles away from the others.

* * *

Dark Ace ripped the headset from Stork's head, breaking the transmission, "You dare betray us?!" he snarled in his face, "You bastard!" 

Stork faced Dark Ace, who he realised, unfortunately, was not alone. Master Cyclonis stood some metres away, with Ravess and Snipe at her side.

"Do not waste your strength, Dark Ace," Master Cyclonis commanded, "you will need it for the Storm Hawks."

"Of course," Dark Ace muttered, then grinned evilly, "You see, Stork, while you and your girlfriend had your lovely little moment last night, I listened to every single word. Thank you for leading us to the Storm Hawks, you've done a good job. However, instead of a promotion, you'll be getting the death penalty. But don't worry, Stork, maybe your friends will forgive you in the afterlife." He burst into cruel laughter and left the bridge.

"I would love to sit around and watch your imminent demise, unfortunately, I have other Sky Knights to kill," Master Cyclonis sniggered and snapped her fingers, "Ravess, Snipe, kill him."

As Master Cyclonis left the bridge, Ravess and Snipe readied their weapons and moved in on Stork.

* * *

The Storm Hawks drew their weapons and prepared for battle. 

"We'd never take them all out!" Finn shouted to Aerrow.

"Don't worry," Piper reassured him, "the cavalry is on the way."

"What cavalry?" Junko asked.

Finn suddenly yelled, "Aerrow! Look out!"

But it was already too late. Dark Ace came flying between the Storm Hawks and caught Aerrow on the wing of his skimmer. He was immediately pulled off his own skimmer and carried away.

"AERROW!" Finn, Junko and Piper yelled. Radarr chirped in distress, taking control of the skimmer.

Dark Ace halted his skimmer and Aerrow fell onto the Condor's pontoon. Bruised and winded, he staggered to his feet as Dark Ace jumped down and faced him.

"This is where it ends, Aerrow," he grinned, raising his sword, "the might of the Storm Hawks, and your life!"

Aerrow gripped his blades and ran to attack his nemesis. But something was wrong. The bruising from Dark Ace's skimmer and landing on the pontoon tugged at his muscles painfully. And his body still ached terribly from his fight with Stork.

Dark Ace noticed his pain from his distorted face and his smile grew. He blocked Aerrow's attack and kicked him hard in the chest. As Aerrow collapsed onto the pontoon, the realization hit him, a horrible chill rippling through his body. This time, Dark Ace had the upper hand. He was going to kill him. He was going to die.

* * *

Stork was about to back into the Condor's controls, when he stopped himself. No, he thought, remember what Dad taught you. He reached behind his back and pulled out the katana. He took the Striker Crystal from his pocket and slammed it into the hilt, the blade glowing bright green. 

Ravess chuckled, "Oh, please. Merbs can't fight."

"Wanna bet?" Stork snarled, pointing the katana their way. In the past, both Ravess and Snipe had come very close to killing him, but he had always had a lucky escape. He felt hopeful of a victory.

Snipe, as usual, was the first to attack. He charged headlong with his mace pulled back for a devastating blow. Stork leapt high into the air and lashed out his foot, quick as lightning, in Snipe's face in a powerful Sky Fu kick. Snipe's head was immediately knocked back and he fell flat on his back. It was a one-hit knock out.

Stork grinned at Ravess, whose mouth hung gaping open at her fallen brother. She composed herself and ran at Stork, kicking out her leg in the same Sky Fu kick. Stork was not the only one who knew martial arts.

But he knew what to do. He grabbed Ravess' foot before it hit and swung her across the bridge, sending her crashing into the table. As she staggered to her feet, Stork sheathed his katana; he was going to need both hands for his next move.

Ravess came running at Stork, both hands curled into fists. She thrust them at his face, but he caught both and pushed them aside. Stork then grabbed the back of Ravess' head, pulled her down and stabbed his knee in her stomach. Before she had had time to recover, Stork drew his katana and held her in a headlock, the blade poised just below her chin.

"Alright, you win," she sighed, defeated, "go ahead, kill me."

"No, I'll just knock you out for a bit." Stork replied, throwing his katana aside.

With both arms wrapped around her neck, Stork lifted Ravess off her feet and slammed her head down onto a nearby trunk. Her body tensed in shock, but as Stork released his grip, she fell limply to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr looked on helplessly as Dark Ace attacked Aerrow. The Talons came swarming around them. 

"Oh, man! Aerrow's getting his ass handed to him, bad!" Finn cried worriedly, "We gotta help him, Piper!"

"The Talons won't let us get close enough," Piper replied, "we'll have to fight them as best as we can and hope for the best for Aerrow."

She pulled a flare gun from her pocket and fired a shot down to Terra Bogaton.

"That should alert them," she muttered to herself, and then turned towards the army of Talons, "come on boys! Let's go get 'em!"

Finn, Junko and Piper prepared their weapons and flew into battle, Radarr following reluctantly. They all fought the Talons as best as they could, but their skimmers acquired large damage and no matter how many Talons they defeated, more came from the warships.

Just as Piper suspected defeat, a movement from Bogaton down below caught her eye. A small group of Raptors flew up from under the clouds. They were led Repton, Leugey and Spitz at his side.

"You Cyclonian bastards!" Repton screamed, raising his blade, the others following suit, "This is for Hoerk!"

Many more Raptors on their skimmers appeared behind his group, a small army, all with their weapons raised. The Talons flew into battle towards them, but were all immediately decapitated by the Raptors. Many of the remaining Talons turned and fled, but that did not stop the Raptors. Soon, the many waves of Talons had been slaughtered, their heads, bodies and skimmers falling through the sky in a morbid rain.

"That was your plan all along?" Finn asked Piper.

"Yep, the Raptors get their revenge, and a Cyclonian battalion bites the dust." Piper replied, a triumphant smile on her face.

Repton pointed his blade towards the Cyclonian warships, "Take them! Take them all!"

As Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr watched the Raptors capture the ships, they almost forgot about Aerrow.

* * *

Stork pulled hard on the rope that tightly bound Ravess and Snipe to a pillar on the bridge. They had both regained consciousness and were screaming at him through their gags. 

"Just be grateful I didn't decide to kill you." Stork snarled at them bitterly.

As he returned to the Condor's controls, he noticed in horror the fight taking place with Dark Ace and Aerrow on the pontoon. Only it was not a fight anymore. Aerrow had been disarmed of both his blades and had completely given in. Dark Ace was beating him hard, pulling no punches. With every hit, Aerrow seemed to be getting weaker. Stork was sure that Dark Ace was intent on murdering him, right here, right now.

Stork drew his katana and made his way to the open runway. He was the only one who could stop the fight and save Aerrow. He would Fight Dark Ace even if it killed him.

* * *

Aerrow collapsed on the pontoon's hard, metal surface. His body racked in agony and his limbs felt heavy and tired. Warm blood covered his face like a mask and seeped through his clothes. He was well and truly beaten, but Dark Ace was going to torture him as much as his body would take. 

"Is this the best you can do, Aerrow?" Dark Ace jeered at him, "But I thought you were supposed to be a Storm Hawk? The Storm Hawks I killed put up a much bigger fight than this."

He grabbed Aerrow by the neck of his shirt and punched him squarely in the face, hurling him across the pontoon. He landed on his side and coughed blood. All at once he realised why Stork hated the thought of a slow and painful death; it was horrible, knowing the last thing he would feel would be this suffering. But Aerrow suddenly found himself longing to die, quickly. If death was the only way to rid him of the pain, then he would take it. He tried to claw his way to the edge of the pontoon, but Dark Ace grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Trying to take the easy way out, Aerrow? I don't think so." He thrust him across the pontoon, away from the edge.

"Just kill me!" Aerrow wailed through his dry throat, "Maul me all you want after! Just kill me first, please!"

Dark Ace threw his head back and laughed cruelly. He never thought Aerrow, of all Sky Knights would beg him to kill him. Of course, he decided to let him suffer a while longer.

He grabbed a fistful of Aerrow's hair and yanked his head upwards to look at him, "What's the use in mauling a dead body when I cannot see the pain? I thrive on pain… I enjoy it…" he hissed, his eyes glinting with wild evil.

Dark Ace pulled his free hand back for a second punch. Aerrow shut his eyes, but the hit never came. Instead, Dark Ace dropped him and walked to the pontoon's edge. He gazed up at the sky as the remains of his army of Talons fell through the sky. Further above, the Raptors piled dead bodies from the warships and towed their new vehicles down to Bogaton.

"No… this can't be happening…" Dark Ace muttered.

"Just like Repton said," Aerrow rasped, "the Cyclonians will fall to the Raptors."

Dark Ace groaned, then snarled, and turned towards Aerrow, his eyes a blaze of hatred. He stalked up to Aerrow and grabbed him hard by his throat, pulling him up off his feet. Aerrow gripped Dark Ace's hand with his own, but he was already too weak to even try to resist.

"My battalion may have failed, but I can still kill you all effortlessly! Even now as I say this, Ravess and Snipe will have made short work of Stork. And after I'm done with you, your friends will all follow the same fate." He tightened his grip.

As Aerrow hung in Dark Ace's grasp, he felt himself grow weaker, both physically and mentally. As his lungs ran out of oxygen, he began to lose the feeling in his hands that battled with his enemy's grip, and his head felt tight and bursting. Dark Ace suddenly lowered him down and loosened his hand.

"But throttling your neck is a waste of my strength and far less… entertaining." He growled in his face.

He threw Aerrow across the pontoon for a final time and drew his sword. Aerrow landed on his stomach and choked, gulping at the air. He struggled to heave himself up onto his hands and knees, but Dark Ace put a foot on his back and pushed him down, pinning him to the pontoon. Aerrow did not have the strength to resist. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Dark Ace raised his sword, the blade poised just above his head.

"I'll enjoy watching your brains splatter!" he cried triumphantly, a wide grin on his face.

A shot of green lightning suddenly struck Dark Ace's hands, sending his sword flying from his hands and clattering some metres away. He gave a short scream, and looked in the direction of the shot.

"You…" he hissed angrily, eyes narrowed.

Stork stood glaring at him, the katana pointing towards him, "Leave him alone." He growled.

Dark Ace stepped off Aerrow and backed away to retrieve his sword. Aerrow looked up as Stork ran to his side.

"Stork?" he coughed.

"Hi." Stork replied, smiling weakly with relief. He gently helped him to his feet and held him steady with his free arm.

Aerrow managed a small smile, "Thanks, for coming back."

Radarr suddenly appeared on Aerrow's skimmer, chirping at him desperately.

"You go back to the others, you'll be safer with them," Stork told Aerrow, "I'll handle Dark Ace."

"But, he could kill you!" Aerrow argued.

"Yeah, but at least I stand a better chance against him than you." Stork replied calmly.

Aerrow reluctantly mounted his skimmer and allowed Radarr to fly him back to his friends. Stork gripped his katana and stepped towards Dark Ace.

"So, Ravess and Snipe weren't good enough for you?" Dark Ace snarled, "You're making a very big mistake, Stork."

"No," Stork answered, "I've already made a mistake, and now I'm putting things right. I will not be like you."

Dark Ace glared at him, "Do you know why I chose you, Stork? Because I thought you would be different, much more different than your foolish father. But, no! You're both as bad! You're both the same! And you're a Merb, too. You're not supposed to fight; we're supposed to walk all over you, because you're weak-"

"Do you call my father weak, wasting two years of his life trying to train you?" Stork interrupted in a burst of anger.

"Of course he wasn't weak!" Dark Ace yelled, "Don't you see what he did to me? To my arm? If it wasn't for the Cyclonians, I'd never have used this arm again! If it wasn't for Sparrowhawk, I wouldn't be fighting you."

Stork breathed rapidly, his anger overwhelming, "I'll fight you with all my might, all my strength!"

Dark Ace sniggered, "Well then, let's see this might and strength!"

With weapons in both hands, Stork and Dark Ace circled each other. Dark Ace lunged into attack first, thrusting his sword in all manner of directions, leaving Stork to block them at rapid speed. But he noticed, in this attack, Dark Ace was pushing him towards the Condor's edge. Without warning, Stork gashed his left eye with the end of his katana. Dark Ace screamed and blood poured from his eye socket. He swung his blade in retaliation, cutting Stork's head just above his ear. A thin fountain of dark green blood spurted out and into Stork's eyes, blinding him. Panicking, Stork swung his katana out wherever he could, while trying to blink the blood from his eyes. The katana gashed Dark Ace's chest and slashed his chin, narrowly missing his throat.

Both combatants were now deprived of full sight and they stood back some way between each other, catching their breath and preparing for the next round. Stork and Dark Ace were still quite fatigued from their previous battles, but neither was going to stop the fight until one had fallen.

Blood flowing from his chest wound, Dark Ace hurled himself at Stork, grabbed him by his hair and pulled him down with him onto the pontoon's surface. With their backs to the pontoon, they blindly attacked, Dark Ace's sword end stabbing Stork in the side, Stork's katana gashing Dark Ace's chest again, just below the collar bone. Once they had returned to their feet, they locked blades, their jagged metal sides grating against each other. Dark Ace freed his sword and thrust the weapon at Stork's throat, but only managing to cut his cheek.

The two fought with a desperate vehemence, aware that one would have to die to end their violent struggle. They ripped and tore into each other with their blades, blocking attacks wherever they could, frantic to stay alive. Sparks flew from their blades and blood from their injuries spurted into the air.

Stork and Dark Ace eventually tired and both stood some way away from each other, panting and preparing for another bout. But neither had much strength left and both had acquired a considerable amount of damage. Although the gashes on Stork's head and side were not deep enough to kill him, they had bled more than his other wounds and he was beginning to feel dizzy and sick. The injuries on Dark Ace's chest however, were bleeding profusely and his face was ashen. But he was not finished.

He snarled at Stork and raised his shoulders, like how an angry animal would raise its hackles. With his sword in both hands and held high above his head, Dark Ace jumped high into the air towards Stork, his body outstretched. He had leapt screaming at Stork, when in truth, it was a jump in which he had no true direction, or any intention of landing unscathed. It was almost suicidal.

In this one fleeting moment, Stork saw his chance. Holding his katana above his head, he darted underneath Dark Ace as he soared above him. The katana found its mark, piercing just below the throat, and cut deep into Dark Ace's chest, cracking open his ribcage, and tore through flesh and muscle, ripping a long, deep gash down through his chest, stomach and gut. Dark Ace's scream dissolved into a shocked, retching-like cry and he finally landed back onto the pontoon. Upon impact of hitting the surface, the tracts of his intestines piled out his body through his laceration. He laid on his side, breathing deeply, a vague, distant look in his half-open, remaining eye. Blood poured from his hideous wound, inside which Stork glimpsed the bars of his ribs.

"The horror…" Dark Ace suddenly gasped, "so much pain… darkness… Stork… so much darkness… you look at me now… and all you see, Stork… is evil… but once, I was, g-good…" he choked, a tone of sadness and remorse in his voice.

Stork turned his gaze from Dark Ace, as he lay struggling to keep a grip on life, and blinked in astonishment. Master Cyclonis stood facing him, her staff pointing towards him.

"You will pay for what you've done." She hissed.

Without warning, a ball of energy shot from her staff. Stork tried to block it with his katana, but the force of the shot knocked him off his feet, disarming him, and sending him careering across the pontoon and over the edge. He gripped the side with his six fingers and tried to heave his dangling feet up to grasp the side too. Master Cyclonis walked up and towered over him.

"It's a shame I'll have to kill you for what you did," she told him shrilly, "you would've made a great Talon."

"I'd rather die." Stork growled. It surprised him, but it was true. He had saved Aerrow's life and returned the Condor to them. It was enough to release some guilt from his heart.

"You have no other choice, anyway." Master Cyclonis replied, aiming her staff at him.

"I deserve it." Stork muttered and braced himself for the oncoming shot, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut.

Instead of feeling a painful blast rip through him, he heard Master Cyclonis screech in shock and the sound of her staff clattering on the pontoon.

"Leave him alone." Came Aerrow's threatening voice.

Stork opened his eyes and, standing over him, facing Master Cyclonis, twin blades drawn, was Aerrow himself, protecting him. Master Cyclonis backed away and retrieved her staff. But, instead of attacking, she turned away.

"Fine, do as you please, I'm done here." She muttered.

She walked across the pontoon towards one of the few surviving Talons, waiting to escort her on his skimmer. She cast a filthy look at Dark Ace, and mounted the skimmer.

As soon as she had left, Aerrow sheathed his blades and turned to Stork, smiling with relief and held out his hand. Stork gripped his hand and Aerrow pulled him back up onto his feet.

Stork smiled gratefully, "Thank you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Aerrow replied, putting his hand on Stork's shoulder. Behind him stood Finn, Junko, Piper and Radarr, all happy to see him.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Aerrow said, as if nothing had happened.

As they all turned to board the Condor, Stork felt hopeful. If Aerrow had been willing to save his life, then maybe he would take him back. Maybe the whole team would take him back. It would be hard, trying to forget about his betrayal, but he was determined to do all he could to repair the damage he had done.

Stork took a step to follow his friends, and gave a choking gasp. An excruciating pain stabbed his back and ripped through his chest. A thin shot of red lightning expelled from the centre of his chest, followed by streams of his dark green blood. Aerrow and the others could only look on helplessly as Stork fell to his knees.

"NO!" Piper screamed.

Stork glanced behind him and realised too late; he had forgotten about Dark Ace. Despite his horrific wound, he had retrieved his sword and, with the last of his strength, had taken a shot at Stork.

"I… will not… go alone…" he rasped, before thrusting himself over the edge of the pontoon, disappearing through the clouds.

Fiery pain burst in Stork's chest. He collapsed onto his side, and he was surrounded by his team, all helping to ease him onto his back. Aerrow pressed his palms down hard onto the wound, trying to stop the blood. They were all yelling at him desperately, Finn and Junko telling him not to fall asleep, Piper pleading him not to die, tightly grasping his hand.

But there was nothing Stork alone could do to help himself. The pain was sapping away at what little strength he had left. His body was growing steadily weaker. And his senses were dulling. Soon, the screams from his friends had dissolved into silence and a black mist was forming over his eyes.

So, this is death, Stork thought as he slipped further into the dark. Despite the agony and the blackness, it did not seem so bad. He was surrounded by all his friends, though they seemed so far away now. But what Stork found most upsetting was that he had no strength left to tell them how sorry he was for all he had done, to apologise for his betrayal, before…

* * *

Please R&R. 


	12. Healing

This is it, the final chapter. I just prolonged it to keep you all in suspense.

* * *

Chapter 12: Healing

Master Cyclonis looked out at Cyclonia from her tower. Two long days had passed since the failure at Bogaton Many beaten battalions had returned, many of their regiments slaughtered. Atmos was now playing Cyclonia at its own game.

The double doors from behind her opened. She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly frowned to hide her relief.

"You should be resting." She hissed.

"I don't need rest!" came Dark Ace's stubborn reply, who winced and put a hand to his stomach.

Dark Ace had barely survived his evisceration by Stork's hands. After he had fallen from the Condor, he had been caught by a lone Talon who took him back to Cyclonia. There, he was operated on, his wounds treated, his intestines piled back into his body and his terrible gash sewn up and bandaged, all this happening while he was still conscious. His left eye however, had suffered irreparable damage and had had to be removed. In its place was now a long scar, as twisted and bulbous as a tree root. He would live, but he would never be the same again.

"I'm not having your guts spilling out over the battle field again." Master Cyclonis muttered.

"That will never happen again, I swear it!" Dark Ace replied bitterly through gritted teeth, "Now, forget about me, we need to continue with the invasion."

Master Cyclonis turned her back on him, "You don't know, do you? The invasion has failed. Those Raptors tore apart one of my best battalions, Ravess and Snipe have been apprehended, and you get butchered by a Merb. Do you know how embarrassing that sounds?"

Dark Ace cringed and replied hastily, "I took care of him. He won't be causing us anymore trouble."

"It doesn't matter. Even if you did kill him, it wouldn't make a difference," Master Cyclonis retorted, "Atmos has started killing our forces. I've severely underestimated them all. I've had to pull back all our battalions and allow Atmos to take back all the captured Terras. Our invasion has completely failed."

"We can still take back all the Terras easily," Dark Ace suggested, "we just need to gather our troops and-"

"No! Not now," Master Cyclonis declined, turning back to him, "we need to lay low for now. And you need to rest. Go back to your barracks, and don't bother coming back until you've fully healed!"

Dark Ace was taken aback by his Master's command, but he obeyed nevertheless. His large wound still hurt, and he would need time to get used to having only one eye now. He left quietly and paced down the corridor, feeling miserable and humiliated.

* * *

Stork woke up, much to his own amazement, to the soft humming of the Condor's engines. His eyes were too tired and heavy to open just yet, and his body too weak to move. All at once the memories came flooding back; flying to Bogaton, capturing Ravess and Snipe, fighting Dark Ace and…

Although he could not open his eyes just yet, he could still feel; he felt a pillow against his head, the warmth of his bed, the bandages wrapped around his chest and back. The once fiery pain in his chest had now lessened to a dull throb. His other wounds had been cleaned and the blood washed from his hair.

But Stork also felt something else; someone was holding his hand. While he battled to open his eyes, he used what little strength he had and gently squeezed the hand holding his. There came a small feminine gasp.

"Stork?" someone asked quietly.

He recognised her voice, and he managed to open his mouth and reply hoarsely, "Piper?"

"Yes, Stork, it's me! I'm here!" She replied happily, gently rubbing his shoulder.

Stork finally willed his eyes to open, Piper's voice drawing him out of the darkness. He blinked to sharpen his blurred vision, and saw Piper, happy and smiling with ease. She stroked the side of his head, smoothing his hair. He managed a faint smile, glad to be awake. He felt he had been asleep for a long time.

Piper turned her head towards the door of Stork's room, open slightly, "Aerrow! He's awake!" she whispered.

At that moment, Aerrow walked in, Radarr perched on his shoulder. Upon seeing Stork, Aerrow's face lit up and Radarr chirped in delight. Finn and Junko followed them, both smiling like Aerrow. They gathered around Stork's bed, Radarr jumping down onto the cover.

"Hey, Stork," Aerrow asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm still quite tired," Stork replied quietly, his throat dry, "but I'll be fine."

"You just need to rest. You'll be back on your feet soon." Aerrow reassured him.

"How long have I been asleep?" Stork asked.

"For the past two days, ever since you passed out from Dark Ace's shot," Aerrow explained, then lowered his voice, "we were worried you wouldn't make it."

"Man, we thought you were a goner, dude." Finn interrupted.

"I told you he would be alright!" Junko nudged him.

Piper smiled at them and continued from where Aerrow left, "Dark Ace's shot narrowly missed your heart, and you didn't lose as much blood as we'd feared. You were probably unconscious from the blood loss, but I kept an eye, just in case it was anything else."

"Piper hasn't left your side since." Aerrow added, smiling at her.

Stork was suddenly confused, "You mean, you were really worried and concerned for me, even after everything I've done?"

"Of course we were, Stork," Aerrow replied, "sure, you did betray us, but you came back and tried to put everything right. And we're still friends, even after all this. You didn't think we'd just leave you to die, did you?"

Stork was overwhelmingly moved. His friends still cared for and loved him despite his deception. Looking back at what he had done, and thinking of how they had looked after and worried about him, he felt incredibly guilty and ashamed. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"I'm sorry," he apologised sincerely, "I'm so very sorry, for everything, what I did to you all. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all you. I hated being with the Cyclonians. I so wanted to go back on it all, but I was afraid that you wouldn't want me back. I feel terrible for betraying you."

Aerrow was amazed at Stork's great expression of repentance, "Hey, come on, no need to get that upset over it. It's all in the past now. What matters now is that we're a team again, that is, if you still want to come back."

"Whatever it takes to become a Storm Hawk again, I'll do it." Stork told him.

"You don't need to do anything," Aerrow replied, "We just want our old Stork back."

A great surge of relief swept over Stork and, his head sinking down onto the pillow, he succumbed back to the darkness, knowing he would awaken again.

"Stork?" Finn's voice echoed worriedly.

"Leave him be, Finn," Aerrow answered, his voice disappearing into the dark, "He's had a tough time. He just needs to rest…"

* * *

Time passed, Stork's wounds healed and his strength returned. As soon as he could walk again, he was allowed back to driving the Condor.

"I did a lot of terrible things," Stork told Aerrow as he walked with him to the controls, "You sure you still want me back?"

"Yes, we do," Aerrow reassured him, "besides, I did something terrible too. I let my anger get the better of me, and I'm sorry, about our fight. I've always wanted to take you back, and I hoped you would come back every time you helped us, giving us our skimmers and the map."

"Well, I hated every moment, being with the Cyclonians. I only joined them because I was worried about my own safety. But I've realised now, that the well-being of my friends means more to me than my own." Stork smiled.

"You know, if you hadn't betrayed us, we wouldn't have asked the Raptors to help defeat the Talons," Finn explained, "turns out, that since the Raptors had two victories against the Cyclonians, the whole of Atmos was inspired to defeat Cyclonia with its own killing tactics."

"And the Cyclonians are actually backing off!" Junko exclaimed, "And there are more free Terras!"

"So, basically, the Raptors saved the day?" Stork groaned.

"They weren't the only ones," Aerrow answered, "You caught Ravess and Snipe, and you put an end to Dark Ace's tyranny, once and for all!"

"You think so?" Stork asked, uncertainly.

"No one could have survived a wound like that, Stork." Aerrow replied.

Piper had been controlling the Condor for Stork until he was fit enough to return. Now, she moved aside to let him take control. He gripped the handle bars, and smiled back at his friends.

"Thank you." He answered gratefully.

As Aerrow, Radarr, Finn and Junko returned to their own stations, Piper put her arm around Stork and laid her head against his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back." She whispered happily.

"I'm glad to be back." Stork replied, wrapping his arm around her waist.

* * *

Aerrow, Radarr on his shoulder, Finn and Junko drove over Terra Saharr's dusty ground on their skimmers, followed by Piper on her heli-scooter and Stork on the seat of the Stork-Mobile. They all ground to a halt by the Terra's edge.

"OK, same deal," Aerrow told them, "last one to the other side of the Terra has to do all the dishes on the Condor for the next month!"

"Bring it on!" Stork jeered humorously.

As they all sped off through the desert, Stork looked up at the sky, the wind blowing through his hair, and a wide grin stretched across his face.

Things were finally getting back to normal.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I've enjoyed writing this, and I've enjoyed reading all your great reviews.

There may be a sequel, but I'm still thinking about it. Stork and Dark Ace both think the other is dead, so what would happen when Dark Ace finds out Stork is alive? I smell revenge...


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